“My respect for Jarred Brooks really grew” - Joshua Pacio revealed he and Jarred Brooks yet to talk about potential trilogy

Combat sports athletes are some of the most competitive people to have walked the earth and at ONE 166 earlier this month, fans were eager to witness a battle for the ages.

In the undercard, the ONE strawweight MMA world championship was on the line between eternal rivals Joshua Pacio and the incumbent titleholder Jarred Brooks.

What was expected to be a barnburner developed into a harrowing experience for many viewers after Brooks inadvertently spiked Pacio’s head into the mat, resulting in a disqualification victory in favor of ‘The Passion’.

Thankfully, Pacio was only diagnosed with a neck sprain and ‘The Monkey God’ even spent breakfast the following morning with the Filipino star and his team, Lions Nation MMA.

Pacio spoke about the moment that he and Brooks shared in an interview with The MMA Superfan:

“My respect for Jarred Brooks really grew. We didn’t talk about trilogies [during the breakfast we had the next day]. He approached me and hugged me while crying and told me, ‘I’m just glad you are ok’. We didn’t talk about setting the next fight up.”

Watch the full interview with Joshua Pacio below:

Joshua Pacio addresses trilogy bout

A damper, yet terrifying, ending to the long-awaited rematch between the two strawweight kings had fans immediately talking about when the third bout should take place.

Taking to Instagram, Pacio told Brooks that it was an incident that no one wanted to happen and that he wishes the best for the American and his family, with their third fight hopefully happening soon.

Despite the bad blood they have inside the ONE Circle, Pacio and Brooks perfectly exemplify the values that all ONE Championship athletes carry with them outside of the fight.